Judith Barsi
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_cause = Homicide by gunshot | resting_place = Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1984–1988 }} Judith Eva Barsi (June 6, 1978 – July 25, 1988) was an American child actress of the 1980s. Barsi began her career in television, making appearances in commercials and television series as well as in the films Jaws: The Revenge, The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go to Heaven, providing the voices for animated characters in the latter two. She and her mother, Maria, were killed in July 1988 as a result of a double murder–suicide perpetrated in their home by her father, József Barsi. Family history Barsi’s father, József, fled Communist Hungary after the 1956 Soviet occupation. He relocated to New York in 1964 and then to California, where he met Maria Virovacz, who was also a Hungarian immigrant who escaped the Soviet occupation. They married and then moved to Los Angeles, California where, on June 6, 1978, Barsi was born. Career Maria Barsi began grooming her daughter to become an actress and at the age of five, she was discovered at a skating rink. Barsi's first role was in Fatal Vision, playing Kimberley MacDonald. She went on to appear in more than seventy commercials and guest roles on television. As well as her career in television, she appeared in several films, including Jaws: The Revenge, and provided the voices of Ducky in The Land Before Time, and Anne-Marie in All Dogs Go to Heaven. By the time she started fourth grade, Barsi was earning an estimated $100,000 a year, which helped her family buy a three-bedroom house in West Hills, Los Angeles. As she was short for her age—she stood at age 10—she began receiving hormone injections at UCLA to encourage her growth. Her petiteness led casting directors to cast her as children that were younger than her actual age. Her agent Ruth Hansen was quoted in The Los Angeles Times as saying that when she was ten, "she was still playing 7, 8." Abuse and death As Barsi’s career success increased, József Barsi, an alcoholic, became increasingly angry and would routinely threaten to kill himself, his wife and daughter. His drinking led to three arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol. In December 1986, Maria reported his threats and physical violence toward her to the police. After the police found no physical signs of abuse, she decided not to press charges against him. After the incident with the police, József reportedly stopped drinking, but continued to threaten Maria and Judith. His various threats included cutting their throats as well as burning down the house. He also reportedly hid a telegram informing Maria that a relative in Hungary had died, in an attempt to prevent her from leaving the United States with Judith. The physical violence continued, with Barsi telling a friend that her father threw pots and pans at her, resulting in a nosebleed. As a result of his abuse, Barsi began gaining weight and exhibited disturbing behavior, such as plucking out her eyelashes and pulling out her cat's whiskers. In May 1988, after breaking down in front of Hansen, Barsi was taken by Maria to a child psychologist, who identified severe physical and emotional abuse and reported her findings to Child Protective Services. The investigation was dropped after Maria assured the case worker that she intended to begin divorce proceedings against József and that she and Judith were going to move into a Panorama City apartment she had recently rented as a daytime haven from him. Maria's friends urged her to follow through with the plan, but she hesitated due to her fear of losing the family home and belongings. In a July 26 phone call with Hansen, József stated he intended to leave the home permanently after saying goodbye to his daughter. Police stated that sometime between July 24–27, József shot Barsi in the head while she was sleeping, and then killed Maria. Following their deaths, József doused the bodies with gasoline and set them and the house on fire, then shot himself in the head with a .32 caliber pistol. On August 9, 1988, Barsi and her mother were interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Aftermath Barsi’s final film, All Dogs Go to Heaven, in which she provided the speaking voice of Anne-Marie, was released in November 1989. In an interview, Don Bluth, the director of both The Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven, praised her as being "absolutely astonishing. She understood verbal direction, even for the most sophisticated situations". Bluth stated he intended to feature her extensively in his future productions. The closing credits song Love Survives was dedicated in her memory. Filmography References External links * * * Category:1978 births Category:1988 deaths Category:1988 murders in the United States Category:20th-century American actresses Category:Actresses from Los Angeles Category:American child actresses Category:American film actresses Category:American people of Hungarian descent Category:American television actresses Category:American voice actresses Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) Category:Child abuse resulting in death Category:Deaths by firearm in California Category:Filicides Category:Murdered American actors Category:Murdered American children Category:Murdered actresses Category:Murder–suicides in California Category:People murdered in California Category:People murdered in Los Angeles Category:American murder victims